Florida’s drought intensifies as wildfires increase in multiple counties

A growing drought and threat of wildfires in Florida has prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue serious advisories for about half of the state’s 67 counties.

The NWS posted “Red Flag” warnings for more than 30 counties Tuesday. Those warnings advise residents that conditions are not only at drought levels, but ripe for additional wildfires.

“A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior,” said an online NWS statement.

The state has been gripped by ongoing drought conditions since Winter. In early March, several counties in Northeast Florida issued a severe water shortage declaration. The St. Johns River Water Management District, for example, advised residents to cut back on residential landscape irrigation to one day per week.

Since then, more wildfires have erupted throughout many areas of the state. Several North and Central Florida counties are grappling with wildfires this week. The USA Today Network reported there were 114 wildfires torching an estimated 14,000 acres of land as of Tuesday afternoon.

An “exceptional” or “extreme” drought condition has been declared for nearly every county in North Florida except for a few in the Panhandle, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Those conditions stretch well into southern Georgia. Areas from the Nature Coast stretching south into the southwest region of the Gulf Coast are also under the same conditions.

The conditions are so combustible, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department issued a burn ban late Tuesday afternoon. The ban indefinitely prohibits any open fires in Duval County.

“We’re not waiting for a large fire. We’ve been taking this seriously,” said Andre Ayoub, Chief of the City of Jacksonville Emergency Preparedness Division. “We are coordinating with stakeholders to ensure everyone is prepared. Now we need the public to understand the significance of this situation.”

Portions of the Space and Treasure coasts running into Southeast Florida are listed as “severe drought.”

Those conditions will continue for a while. The NWS station at the Jacksonville International Airport posted a forecast that appears bleak.

“A dry cold front will bring a dangerous combination of critically dry air (low relative humidity) and gusty winds to portions of the area,” an NWS statement said. “This alignment of conditions with the drought will result in critical fire weather conditions.”

The extended forecast isn’t any more optimistic until Sunday, when there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. It’s not certain the rain will last long, as temperatures climb to about 90 degrees.